EU Parliament threatens anti-piracy treaty

The European Parliament has defied the Commission, voting against an agreement between the EU, the US and other major powers on combating online piracy and threatening to take legal action at the European Court of Justice.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which began in Geneva two years ago, is a multilateral trade agreement to establish international standards on intellectual property rights. The Parliament’s decision states that MEPs will go to the Court of Justice if the EU does not reject ACTA rules, including cutting off users from the Internet “gradually” if caught stealing content.

Though MEPs cannot participate in the ACTA talks, without the consent of the European Parliament, EU negotiators will have to go back to the drawing board and come up with a compromise.